Cristina Galafate
Updated Saturday, February 17, 2024-02:03
Company The grandchildren of the creator of Pilfood who have a turnover of half a million euros and are in six countries with their 'healthy sweets'
Interview Chef Bosquet, the firefighter who taught Spain how to make healthy donuts, sponge cake and nougat
He is the Willy Fog from Madrid.
Víctor Alonso
(Madrid, February 26, 1976) left everything in 2006 to go
around the world
. A trip where he crossed Africa by land, from Cairo to Cape Town, and crossed the Atlantic in a sailboat barely 12 meters long.
That journey helped him come up with a concept of
healthier
snacks
. "I studied Business Administration and Management (ADE) at the Complutense University, although I have always been very creative and what I really wanted to do was Architecture or Philosophy," he says. Furthermore, his interests are very
aligned with a healthy life
.
From reading the Stoics to strength and cardio training, studying the most
energizing
supplements or taking cold water baths. "This is why I realize that
snacks have too many additives
and the phrase of a professor that marked me in my career resonates in my head. He said: 'You are not here to be accountants, but to create companies.'"
THIS IS HOW THE IDEA CAME
Alonso, in his office on Claudio Coello Street, does not forgive a week without training and does intermittent fasting.J. BARBANCHO
Inspired by discovering other ways of life and cultures, he gave free rein to his ideas. "For me it was unthinkable to return to an office, because before I worked in market investments." He wanted to be his own boss with his first project: a business incubator where they experimented with
insect protein
when no one else was doing it. Later, he switched to snacks after importing corn into Argentina, thinking that the brands were not well developed. "As the rules of the game changed so much due to inflation, that helped me be very
resilient
and very prepared to undertake business in Europe."
And thus came Anaconda Foods. "It is a word that is read the same way in English and Spanish and on my trip I was impressed to see the
recently hunted boa
in the Amazon opening its mouth up close. In addition, it is related to kundalini energy, which means coiled snake ".
I was seeing that the healthy trend was unstoppable in Europe and that here we still did not know how to
correctly interpret the information
on a label. "The
snacks
are limited to rich, crunchy and addictive. I wanted them to provide
better ingredients
, such as lentil flour (88.7%) or vegetable proteins, and to have a more attractive image." Always interested in how to live longer and better, he thought that his brand had to be consistent with his values and tried to get the
BIO and ecological
quality seal .
26 GRAMS PER 100
It has 10 snack references and is present in 1,500 points of sale.JAVIER BARBANCHO
"I have managed to ensure that the worms contain 26 grams of protein per 100 thanks to my
R&D&I team
, whom I always continue to pressure to ensure that they contain as little fat and salt as possible." It's not easy, she says, and there are still challenges like removing the oil that is sprinkled "so that it is as delicious and
palatable
as a Bocabits."
In the midst of research, it already has a
dozen references
produced in Spain. "More and more people are concerned about the composition of what they eat, but industrialists are pragmatic and want to make money, although they will have no choice but to innovate," he says.
And why did he make appetizers and not other food? "I've always been a
fan of crochets
but, since I love the sport, it bothered me that they were so unhealthy. So I told myself, I'm going to create what I would eat." Of course, we must remember that appetizers should be
consumed occasionally
. "I do intermittent fasting daily, two days of HIIT (high intensity interval training) and two of strength, I have two eggs for breakfast and I take
food supplements
such as Omega 3, creatine and magnesium, which are the ones with the most evidence," he details.
She devours books by international doctors, such as Jessie Inchauspé, the 'goddess of glucose', and follows their advice closely. "
Sleep is essential
. If you don't rest, it doesn't help you to go to the gym so much, because your body doesn't recover," concludes this restless mind that doesn't stop scheming.